The former chairman of the Trump presidential campaign was charged last night with secretly recruiting a network of European politicians to advance the interests of the former pro-Moscow government of Ukraine.

Paul Manafort, 68, was accused of covertly paying several former European politicians, known as the Hapsburg Group, €2 million from offshore accounts in 2012 and 2013. In return they allegedly lobbied members of Congress and other US officials, pretending to be acting independently.

Mr Manafort led the Trump campaign for about three months until he was forced to quit in August 2016 after a ledger was unearthed in Ukraine that listed him as the beneficiary of clandestine payments amounting to more than $12 million. According to anti-corruption officials in Ukraine the money would have…

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